Brake mechanism.



G. L. GRAHAM. BRAKE MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1912.

Patented July 29, 1913.

avweuto'c 67 Lrflraizam COLUMBIA PLANOURAPM 470., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UN FEED gTATEd PATENT @FFTQE.

GEORGE L. GRAHAM, OF FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BRAKE MECHANISM.

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Application filed November 11, 1912.

Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanymg drawm gs.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in brakeequipmentfor railway cars, particularly freight cars, and the inventionhas for its primary object a simple, durable and etlicient constructionof brake mechanism, whereby the use of the ordinary brake beamisobviated and the possibility of accidents that are of such frequentoccurrence, owing to the dropping of the brake beam and the derailmentof the train, being thereby precluded.

The invention also has for its object an improved mechanism of thischaracter which will be compact and the parts of which will be capableof being easily manufactured and readily assembled and adjusted and alsocapable of being easily replaced should any part become broken. And theinvention also aims to generally improve devices of this class so as torender them more useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved brake-actuating mechanism,portions of a truck being shown merely for the purpose of illustrationand the rest of the truck being omitted in order not to hide the essential elements of the mechanism, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of thedevice, the section being taken transversely of the truck.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and desig nated in the accompanying drawing by likereference characters.

In carrying out my invention, I incorporate in the truck of the car, aspring supporting plate 1 which is of trough-shape, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 1, with its side Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29,1913.

Serial No. 730,705.

flanges 2 projecting upwardly. This spring plate extends from one sideframe of the truck to the other and is preferably supported on andriveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the lower pedestals of theframes. Secured to the supporting plate 1 at or near the ends thereofand riveted or otherwise secured to the upper edges of the side flanges2, are cross bars 3 on which the springs l: are directly supported. Theside flanges 2 of the supporting plate 1 are formed with recesses 5,front and rear, in which recesses,

brake arms 6 are accommodated for a sliding movement on the supportingplate 1 transversely of the length thereof, there being two pairs ofthese brake arms 6 formed at their outer ends with heads 7 which areshaped and constructed in any desired manner to support the brake shoes(not shown). The inner or adjoining ends of the arms 6 of each pair aredisposed in spaced relation to each other and are forked or recessed, asindicated at 8, to receive a wedge 9 which is mounted for a slidingmovement on the supporting plate 1 transversely of the line of movementof the arms 6, the latter being held for a proper sliding movement byguide straps 10, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. Preferably, to reducethe friction between the wedges 9 and the inner or adjoining ends of thearms 6, anti-friction rollers 11 are carried by the forked ends of thearms and bear directly against the side edges of the wedges which arereceived in the forks or recesses of the arms.

It will be understood from the foregoing that an inward movement of thewedges 9 toward each other, will force the arms away from each other andthereby carry the brake shoes into frictional contact and brakingengagement with the peripheries or tread surfaces of the car wheels,while an opposite movement of the wedges, that is, a move ment away fromeach other, will permit the arms 6 of each pair to move inwardly andrelieve the braking effect.

' In order to actuate the wedges 9, they are pivotally connected attheir inner ends to link rods 12, each of said rods being preferablyconstructed in extensibly connected sections for the purposes ofadjustment, the extension and contraction being, in the presentembodiment of the invention, effected by means of turn buckles 13. Thelink rods 12 extend inwardly toward each other from the wedges 9 and arepivotally connected at their inner ends to the crank arms 14 that arecarried by a vertically disposed spindle l5 journaled at its lower endin the bottom of the plate 1 and near its upper end in a cross bar 16riveted or otherwise secured to the flanges of said plate. Preferably,in order to facilitate the assembling of the parts, the spindle 15 isinserted upwardly through an opening formed for it in the cross bar 16and is then dropped into an opening 17 in the bottom of the supportingplate 1, the spindle being provided with a. bearing collar 18, and abushing 19 is then dropped into the relatively large opening which isformed in the cross bar 16 to provide for the passage of the spindle, soas to provide a journal bearing for the spindle at that point. The upperextremity of the spindle 15 has an actuating lever 20 secured to itintermediate of the ends of the lever, the said ends of the lever beingpivotally connected to actuating rods 21 and 22, one of which isintended to lead to the air brake equipment and the other to a handlever or the like, whereby the spindle 15 may be turned either by airpressure means or by hand.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, the operation of my improved brake-operating mechanism will beapparent. In the practical use of the device, a turning movement of thespindle 15 in one direction will obviously tend to draw the link rods 12inwardly and will consequently draw the wedges 9 inwardly toward eachother between the adjoining ends of the brake arms 6, said brake armsbeing thereby forced away from each other and forwardly and rearwardly,so that the brake shoes will be brought into proper frictional contactwith the peripheries of the wheels. A movement of the spindle 15 in theopposite direction will permit the brake shoes to release their holdupon the wheels, as is evident.

Vhile the accompanying drawing illustrates what I believe to be thepreferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be madein the construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appendedclaim.

\Vhat I claim is:

In a brake mechanism, the combination with a frame having parallelupstanding flanges with registering notches adjacent their oppositeends, of brake arms slidably mounted in the notches of the upstandingflanges and having bifurcated inner ends, of rollers mounted in thebifurcated inner ends of the brake arms, a cross bar mounted centrallyupon the upstanding flanges, a vertical rotary member mounted in thecross bar, double arms rigidly mounted upon the opposite ends of therotary member and extending at different angles, tapered wedge blocksengaged in the bifurcated ends of each pair ofbrake arms and against therollers mounted in said ends, connections between the wedge blocks andone of the double arms mounted upon the rotary member, whereby rotationof said member in one direction will cause the wedge blocks to force thebrake arms outwardly, means connected with the other double arm foroperating the rotary member, and means for guiding the brake arm.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

GEORGE L. GRAHAM.

lVitnesses Mrs. G. L. GRAHAM,

a IJREDERICA S. STILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C.

